Prizes Announced for Student Essays on Engineering

Through its EngineerGirl website, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) challenged students in grades three to 12 to submit essays about the contributions of engineering to the treatment of disease. The writers of outstanding essays were awarded prizes in three categories based upon grade level.

Sydney Ricks, a fifth-grader from Nansemond Parkway Elementary School in Suffolk, Va., placed first among third- to fifth-grade students for her explanation of how the engineering behind the robotic glove has advanced rehabilitation for stroke victims in her essay “Stroke Survivors Get a New Grip on Life.” Stacey Edmonsond, an eighth-grader at Bernard Campbell Middle School in Lee's Summit, Mo., won first place among entries from sixth- to eighth-grade students for her essay titled “Robots: Therapy of the Future,” which described the different types of robotic therapy that have been made available with the help of engineers. Among ninth- to 12th-graders, Samira Bandaru, an 11th-grade student from Hopkins School in New Haven, Conn., placed first for her essay called “The Mechanical Heart,” which explained the roles of engineers in the development of the mechanical heart.

“This year’s essay participants not only provided wonderful explanations about the special contributions of engineering to human health, but a wealth of relief and inspiration for tomorrow as well,” said NAE President Dan Mote. “It is so inspiring and reassuring to see the enthusiasm of young people for the importance of engineering to human health and people that I feel confident the innovators of our future are among us.”

EngineerGirl is designed for middle school girls and offers information about various engineering fields and careers, questions and answers, interviews, and other resources on engineering. EngineerGirl and Engineer Your Life, a website for academically prepared high school girls, are part of the NAE's ongoing efforts to increase the diversity of the engineering work force. Next year’s essay contest topics will be announced this fall.